Join the Conversation

El Paso City Council considers parking restrictions near Coronado High

David Hernandez, ElPaso
Published 9:20 p.m. MT June 8, 2015

Cars line both sides of El Puente Drive on Monday in the West Side neighborhood that is about one block from Coronado High School. Residents are concerned that students are taking up residential parking and blocking driveways, and are asking El Paso City Council to implement parking restrictions.(Photo: Rudy Gutierrez&#8212;El Paso Times)

Residents near Coronado High School are the latest in El Paso to request parking restrictions in a high school area.

El Paso City Council will decide today whether or not to make the Coronado neighborhood a residential district with restricted parking. If the ordinance is approved, residents living on Resler, Escondido, Westwind, Northwind and Cloudview drives would be able to request that the city implement signs on their street to limit parking to residents, who have a permit, on school days between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The amended residential parking district also would include the area bounded by the four streets.

El Paso City Council approved the same ordinance for streets near El Dorado High School last Tuesday and for streets near Eastwood High School in May.

Last Tuesday, officials also changed the ordinance for streets near Montwood High School, where restrictions were already in place, to give residents the option to purchase permits that allow them to park in the restricted areas.

Residents of the school neighborhoods initiated the requests for parking restrictions because they say students who park on their streets leave behind trash, take up parking spaces and block driveways.

"I feel like a prisoner in my own house," said Norma Jean Gradsky, who lives adjacent to Coronado on El Puente Drive.

Hilda Trejo, who also lives on El Puente Drive, said she notices students speeding. Aside from that, she doesn't have an issue with students parking on the street.

"But whoever is bothered has the right to petition," she added.

Rudy Pino, engineering division manager of the city's Streets and Maintenance Department, said the ordinances relating to these school areas solely create an "area of eligibility," meaning residents can decide whether or not to add the parking signs.

The city requires that residents present a petition with signatures of 75 percent of affected residents on city block to have the city add a permit-only parking sign to the block of a street. Officials consider adding signs block by block, not to the entire street, Pino said.

Residents near El Dorado have already submitted a petition to add restricted-parking signs to sections of streets in their neighborhood. Once the signatures are verified, the city will send residents a letter notifying them of the changes, Pino said. The process to add a parking sign takes about three weeks.

There isn't a fee to add the signs, but residents would have to purchase a $10 permit, which comes with two additional visitor passes.

Gradsky, who submitted a request to have City Council consider the ordinance, said the ordinance would help but is not the best solution for residents given that they would have to pay to get a permit.

Meanwhile, several Coronado students who park off campus said the regulation would be inconvenient.

"If people decide to live by a high school, they should know high schoolers have cars," said Garrett Garcia, a junior at Coronado.

Students who don't park on campus said it is because congested traffic makes it a hassle to enter or exit the school parking lots.

Permits to part at Coronado are free to students who provide proof of a driver's license and car insurance, but campus security Ygnacio Enriquez said the top reason students don't get a permit is because they often don't have insurance, likely because it is expensive for young people.

Enriquez said Coronado has four parking lots and only the lot for seniors is typically full.

El Dorado and Montwood, which have the same requirements, charge $5 and $10, respectively, to obtain a permit.

If restricted-parking signs are approved for a school area, Pino said, the city notifies the high school so students can be advised of the regulations.